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ACTION PAGE:
Support HB 1897: Preserve Virginia Aquaculture Heritage - Contact House CC&T Subcommittee #2
URGENT: 2nd Hearing in House CC&T Subcommittee #2 Wed. 4 p.m., Feb. 1
Please post comments also at RichmondSunlight.com


Virginia House Bill 1897 (HB 1897) and its companion bill SB 1529 would make it crystal clear that aquaculture is an agricultural activity under Virginia law. The legislation seeks not only to protect aquaculture in any zone that allows production agriculture but also to preserve the use of property for aquaculture that began prior to any change in zoning that disallows production agriculture.

The plight of aquaculture farmers in York County emphasizes the potential harm of arbitrary rezoning, especially when agricultural activity is prohibited shutting down Chesapeake oyster operations.

House CC&T Subcommittee #2 meets again at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, February 1, 2017!

Use this EMAIL petition to send this message:
Vote YES on HB 1897 - Protect Virginia Aquaculture Heritage.

Add your own comments in the box below and follow up with phone calls to CC&T Subcommittee #2 members of the Virginia House Committee on Counties, Cities and Towns.

Talking Points: You can use any of these ideas to express your support for HB 1897.
    1. Sustainable aquaculture should be protected from overzealous zoning boards. York County is a prime example of what can go awry when the law can be skirted by a calculated zoning change.
    2. Protecting aquaculture creates jobs and keeps more dollars in the local economy.
    3. The shellfish aquaculture farmers in Virginia are environmental stewards of the Chesapeake waterways and are crucial to preserving and renewing the habitat for fish and crabs for which Virginia is renowned. For example, oysters naturally improve water quality by removing especially nitrogen and phosphorus thereby countering algae bloom fed by the run-off.
    4. Shellfish aquaculture is a regulated industry monitored in Virginia by the Marine Resources Commission (MRC) and, as such, oyster farmers and other seafood cultivators are conscientious in complying with the various requirements. A forced shutdown because of local zoning changes is unjustifiable and injurious to the producer as well as the consumers who seek the aquacultural products and results in a setback for the environment.

Updates 020117 2nd Subcmte2; 012517 House CCT Subcmte2 [18]
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